With first place in the Western Athletic Conference boys volleyball race on the line, Lathrop and visiting Mountain House squared off Tuesday night with the Spartans surviving to win 25-20, 27-25, 28-30, 25-23 to remain undefeated in league play.
Lathrop (7-0 WAC, 13-4 overall) never trailed in the first set, held on for the two-point extended second-set win with two net serves down the stretch and six ties between 21-21 and the 27-25 win, had a net serve at match point in the third set before that set was extended for the win for the defending champion Mustangs (6-1, 12-4) and overcame a number of errors down the stretch in the fourth set to close out the match.
“We should have run away with it,” Spartans coach Arlene Fa’ali’i said. “But pressure gets to the kids and they committed silly errors here and there on things we go over all the time.
“Mountain House is always a good team, and this was great to get us ready for a tournament this weekend.”
Gabriel Fa’ali’i paced Lathrop with 20 kills, three digs and a pair of aces with a block down the stretch of the fourth set before ending the match on a kill, atoning for a pair of long hits late in the fourth set.
“I was able to make those mistakes get out of my head,” Fa’ali’i said. “Trying not to make the same mistake over and over again.
“I’m glad my setter (Alexander Vere) was able to trust me with the last ball, and when my team needed me most, I tried making sure I put the ball away.”
Vere dished out 48 assists, while making three digs and catching the Mustangs flat-footed on four kills.
“We make sure that every time we are on the court that we trust each other,” Vere said. “We had short memory when it came to mistakes.
“I practice those kills, so I can catch the defenders when they are at their weakest, slip their mind a little bit and catch them off guard.”
Charles Reyes patrolled the back court with a vengeance for the Spartans, netting 18 digs.
“I was concentrating on how I could get the ball up,” Reyes said. “I was focusing on floor defense, so I could get the ball to the outside guys to kill it.”
After the third set was tied at 24 and 25, Jonathan Morikang tallied three kills in a row for Mountain House setting up Manil Mehta for the set-ending kill.
Lathrop continues the WAC schedule Thursday when the Spartans host Ceres at 6 p.m.
